Odd Man Rush
by Hidge
Summary: Set after 8x12 - "Hope for the Hopeless". April Kepner has never been the girl that got noticed, so what happens when two men start chasing after her? AK2 vs. Japril. Please R&R!
1. The Pre-Game Show

**A/N: Hey everyone! So this is something completely new and different from me! This will be an actual love triangle fic! There will be AK2 scenes and Japril scenes and just because I'm a Japril writer, don't think that means that there will be a Japril happy ending. Everything is completely up in the air and I hope that shippers of both pairs will read this story!**

**This is a special birthday post for my pal tinyhuman02! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters!**

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**Chapter 1 – The Pre-Game Show**

Alex Karev stood in the doorway of his new kitchen and ate his favourite cereal straight out of the box. They didn't have any milk yet but he didn't really care. He looked around the living room and nodded to himself in approval. His new place was pretty nice if he did say so himself. It was spacious and open, had come pretty much fully furnished, and he and Avery had already agreed to split the cost of a flat screen TV, and a sound system if they could get a decent price. Kepner was crazy about the hardwood floors and laundry room, but he was just happy that it was fairly close to the hospital and he wouldn't have to sell his organs on the black market in order to pay for rent. His bedroom was pretty big too, bigger than his old room at Mer's anyway. It was weird that he had finally moved out of Meredith's frat house but it felt right, like it was the right time.

Derek and Mer were real adults now, and O'Malley was gone, and Izzie wasn't around anymore…yeah, he thought, it had definitely been the right time to leave that house.

And Zola _was _seriously killing his game. He couldn't bring any more chicks back there; he needed a baby-free zone.

He and Avery got along fairly well. They were pretty much polar opposites but they were able to talk about all of the important stuff: surgery, sports, food, and women. That was good enough for him. He had had his doubts about moving in with the red-headed trauma surgeon, but in the end, he didn't have any other options, and Avery was right. She cooked, she cleaned…and she had a really nice ass. That added up to a pretty awesome roommate in his mind.

At least she was nicer to look at than Avery.

Kepner's ass was the reason that he hadn't moved in the past five minutes. She was unpacking boxes of books and placing them in the bookshelf that he and Avery had assembled last night. The task required a lot of bending over and he had the perfect view. It also didn't hurt that she was wearing black yoga pants and a bright red tank top.

April knew that Alex was standing behind her without even turning her head. She could hear him rummaging through his cereal box. She could also hear him chewing, _loudly_, and she was trying not to let it get to her. "You could help me, ya know," she told him in annoyance.

"I could," he spoke through a mouthful of cereal. "But I'm good here. Thanks."

He grinned to himself as he heard her huff angrily. It was fun to get under her skin; he liked to see her feathers all ruffled. It was oddly attractive.

Sure, Kepner was annoying, but he wasn't sure when he had started to look at her like maybe he could put up with her annoying habits. Sometimes he thought that with a girl like April Kepner, the pros could outweigh the cons. She had really had his back during that botched bowel resection, and she let him hang out in her office without too many complaints. She cooked him food and did his laundry. She was a tad crazy, but she wasn't the brand of crazy that had gotten him into so much trouble in the past. She was crazy in an insecure, hyperactive, neat freak kind of way. Maybe he could deal with that. She had some great pros, besides the cooking and the cleaning, she was smart, she knew how to chug a beer, he liked how competitive and resourceful she was, and she was hot.

He had thought that she was cute when he had stupidly tried to screw her in an on-call room last year, but he wasn't sure when she had gotten so hot. The hair had a lot to do with her transformation, and he wasn't sure if she had started to work out, or if she had changed her diet, or if she had just bought a tonne of new clothes that fit her better. Whatever had happened, it had caused him to check her out more and he had realized that she had an absolutely banging body. He understood why that _Lord of the Rings _nerd had lied about chest pains so that he could see her again. She was cute in a mousy way and hot in a 'could easily be a secret sex kitten' kind of way. It was almost unfair. She had that great body and she didn't even know what to do with it.

He could certainly help her out with that, he thought mischievously.

He finally tore his eyes away from her when he heard the front door open and shut.

Avery waltzed into the living room wearing a pair of jeans and a grey sweater and carrying an armful of groceries. "Good morning," he greeted both of them pleasantly.

Alex looked at him curiously, he hadn't even known that the guy was out of bed, and apparently he had been shopping.

April smiled brightly at Jackson and returned his greeting while Alex mumbled grumpily. He still wasn't sure if he was fully awake, and his two roommates seemed so perky. He hated morning people.

He followed Avery into the kitchen and nosily looked into one of the grocery bags. "What did ya get?" He asked.

"Oh, some necessities, like milk and eggs, and I just figured that I would buy some things to make dinner tonight," Jackson answered casually. Last night they had ordered pizza and drank beer because April had been too tired from all of the unpacking to cook. He thought that it'd be a nice gesture if he took over the responsibility tonight. "Our first dinner in the new apartment, I figured I'd make it a good one," he shrugged.

Alex furrowed his brow in confusion. "You can cook?" His male roommate nodded. "You never cooked at Mer's."

"I never had to," the pretty boy grinned.

Jackson started to unpack the groceries and he smiled when he found the package of speciality tea that he had bought. He hadn't been able to pass it in the aisle without picking it up. "Hey April," he yelled. "I got that tea you like!"

"Oooh!" She squealed excitedly. She ran into the kitchen and playfully bumped her side against his. "Thank you, best friend!"

Jackson grinned as he held the box of tea above her head and chuckled as she tried to take it from him. She was too petite to even come close to reaching it.

Alex watched them interact with a bewildered expression. He and Mer never behaved like that, and he and Cristina definitely didn't. Kepner and Avery had a really weird friendship. They were _close_, and it seemed as if they had gotten even closer since she had become Chief Resident. Maybe it was because Avery was the only one that really listened to her.

Perhaps Alex had unknowingly disrupted something when he had accepted their offer to split the apartment three ways.

"Are you two screwing?" He asked bluntly.

Jackson and April abruptly ended their playful exchange and turned to him in shock.

"Excuse me?" April questioned in an extremely high-pitched voice.

Jackson was a tad calmer. "What are you talking about Karev?"

Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "I just wanna know what I'm getting myself into," he attempted to explain. "Are you guys hooking up?"

The red-head's face and neck flushed and she quietly muttered, "No."

The dark-skinned man placed a supportive hand on his best friend's shoulder. "No, we're not," he stated firmly. "Not that it'd be any of your business even if we were."

April gently brushed Jackson's hand off of her shoulder and walked back into the living room without another word. She was too embarrassed to say anything else.

Jackson watched her walk away regretfully and he exhaled heavily through his nose. He punched Karev's arm with only a small amount of force and whispered harshly, "Why did you have to do that?"

Alex shrugged again. "I was curious is all. I wanted to know if I had to worry about finding you two half naked on the washing machine or somethin'."

Jackson rolled his eyes before he returned to unpacking the groceries that he had bought. However, he was still rather furious with the other man. Why did Karev have to be such an ass sometimes? What had just happened was a perfect example of why Jackson had been wary of inviting the guy to move in with them. Karev knew how sensitive and easily embarrassed April was and yet, he couldn't stop himself from pushing her buttons. The guy enjoyed seeing her squirm far too much.

And Jackson had to always jump to her defence. He had to. People unfairly gave her a hard time and he was always the first to cut in and support her, or throw a punch, whatever fit the situation. She was his oldest friend, and as Charles had once said, albeit jokingly, "Mercy West forever." They were all each other had. They had lost Charles and Reed, so now it was just the two of them. Him and her. She was the only person that he trusted to confide in, and she was the only person that would listen to him without judgement. He cared for her and he respected her. He truly valued her friendship and so he had to protect her. He wasn't sure if anyone else would anyway.

"You're such a douche," he finally muttered through clenched teeth.

Jackson didn't like the way that Karev treated April and he certainly didn't like the way the guy was starting to look at her.

Alex groaned in irritation as he placed his cereal back in the cupboard. "Do you want me to apologize? Okay, whatever, I'll apologize," he fumed.

He left the kitchen without waiting for a response from Avery and headed to Kepner's bedroom once he saw that the living room was empty. He politely knocked on her open door and waited for her to look up at him.

"So, uh," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry, or something."

April couldn't help but guffaw at his attempt at an apology. "It's okay, Alex," she replied genuinely. "Unlike you, I know exactly what I'm getting into by moving in with you and Jackson."

He looked down at his bare feet and grinned. "Right, because I'm dirty and gross, and apparently, I'm going to acquire syphilis."

On her way out of her bedroom, April brushed past him and gave him a wicked little grin. "From what I've heard, you already have."

Alex watched her walk down the hall with a smirk. He loved it when she took him by surprise like that. It was hot. When she did things like that, got a little feisty and gave crap as good as she got it, he couldn't help but think that she actually wasn't that annoying. She had some balls, and that was pretty attractive.

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**A/N: Please leave a review! This is so different for me, and a little out of my comfort zone, so your comments will really help! :)**


	2. Just Warming Up

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad that you guys are giving this fic a chance! This fic is supposed to be funny, it's never going to get too serious or angsty. The humor is also the idea behind the title, and all of the chapters will be named after sports references or metaphors (Not that I condone treating women like conquests or games...feminine disclaimer haha). Anyway, enjoy!**

**Also, in the first chapter I forgot to thank tinyhuman02 for making the story icon! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always!**

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**Chapter 2 – Just Warming Up **

April awoke early the next morning, after spending night number two in her new apartment. She slowly rolled out of bed and quietly made her way to the bathroom. She knew that the two boys were definitely still asleep. Jackson didn't usually wake up until mid-morning and Alex was liable to stay in bed until noon on his days off. Even on the days when she wasn't working, she still woke up early. She was used to it having grown up on a farm; you were supposed to get up with the sun. The morning was her most productive period of the day.

The red-head took a quick, hot shower before she made her way back to her bedroom and attempted to put it in order. She had the majority of her things unpacked but they weren't necessarily where she wanted them. Most of her clothes were hanging in the large walk-in closet, but the top of her dresser was still a little bit of a mess and her desk wasn't as organized as she wanted it to be. She would spend today, a lazy Sunday, getting things in order.

But first, she had something more important to do.

She grabbed a blank sheet of paper and a pen from off of her desk and made note of a few thoughts that had occurred to her last night. This apartment needed to have some clear rules. She had never lived with just men before and she was a little uneasy about it. There was much more testosterone in this apartment than what she was used to. She had three sisters, she had lived in an all-female residence in college, she had shared an apartment with Reed during the early years of her residency, and at the frat house she had had Meredith and Lexie as buffers. She wasn't sure what it would be like to live with just Alex and Jackson in terms of cleanliness and everyday operation.

It could turn out to be a complete disaster.

So she needed there to be rules, and they weren't going to be too over the top. She just wanted it stated in writing that they had to clean up after themselves, do their own laundry, and that their one night stands and/or girlfriends could not eat her food or use her bathroom products.

She went out to the kitchen for her morning cup of coffee and brought her new list of apartment rules with her. She proudly pinned the sheet of paper to the refrigerator with magnets and took a step back to admire her work. There were only eight rules; the boys should be able to memorize them.

"Don't leave dirty socks or other items of clothing lying around the apartment," a voice read over her shoulder, and she could hear a hint of amusement.

April laughed softly as she spun around to face her best friend. "That's for Alex, not you. You're pretty clean."

Jackson grinned and proudly placed his hands on his hips. "Why thank you."

April continued to laugh as she walked to the corner of the kitchen, where their coffee pot sat on the countertop, and shied away from his gaze. He had just gotten out of bed and therefore, he was wearing only a pair of black pajama pants. She couldn't even glance at his chest without blushing, and it made her feel like a school girl. She was a twenty-nine year old woman for God's sake! She should be able to look at her best friend without a shirt on without it affecting every nerve ending in her body. But he was so gorgeous. His abs. His pecs. His biceps. His skin. Those stupid dips in his pelvis that disappeared into his pants! Every inch of him was flawless, and he was fully aware that he was uncomfortably gorgeous. He used his eyes and his smile to his advantage on a daily basis and he liked to show his body off. That's why he worked out so much. And he wasn't above trying to use his looks to his advantage on her either.

"Did you sleep well?" Jackson asked as he grabbed a carton of orange juice from the refrigerator.

She merely nodded as she watched the coffee pot slowly full up with hot, black liquid.

"Is your new bed comfortable?" He continued.

"Yeah," she replied in a voice that was at a slightly higher pitch than normal. "What about you?"

"Slept like a log," he answered as he lazily scratched his chest. "Although," he laughed as he moved to stand next to her. "I could hear Karev's snoring through the wall."

April turned to him and giggled. "Get used to it," she quipped playfully.

He turned around so that he was leaning back on the counter, and his torso was on full display, whether he noticed it or not. "Better than hearing other things through the wall I suppose," he shrugged.

She blushed again, but before Jackson could comment on it, Alex shuffled into the kitchen.

"Hey," he croaked with his eyes still half-closed.

"Hi," she responded quickly. "Want some coffee?"

Alex nodded sleepily as he took a sit at the kitchen table.

April poured three cups of coffee and focused on the simple task instead of the half-naked man candy standing next to her. She carried Alex's cup of coffee to the table, along with a spoon and the bowl of sugar, and placed it in front of him. She turned away from him quickly as well. Even though he was a jerk to her the majority of the time, she still found his straight out of bed look adorable. The way that his hair was ruffled made her want to smooth it back.

She took her own cup of coffee into the living room so that she could have a moment to herself. Oddly enough, she hadn't envisioned this part of their cohabitation being a problem. They were two very good-looking men and she was a self-conscious virgin, of course she got a little embarrassed and tongue-tied around them every now and then. At least she was confident that they would never have an awkward third wheel situation, neither one of them would ever be interested in her in a romantic way. She was as far from Alex Karev and Jackson Avery's type as anyone could imagine.

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Later that afternoon, Alex and Jackson decided to make a trip to pick out their new television set at Best Buy. They could both only last so long without live sports in their home.

They mostly talked shop as they browsed: work, sports, and food. He and Karev didn't exactly have deep conversations. However, Jackson was taken aback when his friend brought up the topic that had caused things to become so uncomfortable yesterday.

"So, you're not screwing Kepner, but have you ever _thought _about screwing Kepner?"

Jackson fixed him with a disbelieving stare. "_Really_? Why are you asking me this? What's wrong with you?"

He shrugged as they continued to walk through the store. "Just wondering. You've known her for longer than I have. What was she like as an intern?"

Jackson ignored his last question, which he considered to be pointless and nosy. He countered with a question of his own. "Have you ever thought about sleeping with Meredith?"

"It's crossed my mind a time or two," he answered with an honest grin. Of course he had thought about sleeping with Mer, especially in the early days of their friendship, when she had been able to drink tequila for days and before he had fallen for Izzie. Now Meredith Grey was like a sister to him, the closest thing that he had to family.

"There," Jackson stated in mild annoyance. "You have your answer."

"So you have? Thought about it?" Alex continued in determination. He wasn't entirely sure why he was so interested in this, but a part of him really needed to know where Avery stood with the red-head.

Jackson scowled and quoted him, "It has crossed my mind a time or two." He paused thoughtfully before he spoke again, but his voice was much quieter. "But I mean, it never…it would never…I couldn't…" He shook his head and closed his mouth. "Never mind, I'm not talking about this anymore. Let's pick out a TV," he snapped.

Alex exhaled as he followed Avery down the aisle. He hadn't expected the pretty boy to get that worked up about his line of questioning.

Very interesting.

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"Can you turn it down, please?" April shouted over the sound of the television. The two boys were watching a basketball game on their new 42" flat screen television and it was so loud that she couldn't even think.

Jackson shot her a small smile and promptly reached for the remote.

"Thank you!" She shouted again once she noticed a discernible decrease in the volume.

Alex took a sip from his bottle of beer before he spoke. "What does it matter anyway? You're just cleaning. You're not working on a cure for cancer."

She looked over her shoulder and glared at him without saying a word. He was right, she was just cleaning, but turning the game down a little wasn't a huge inconvenience for him. It was the polite thing to do.

He chuckled to himself and took another drink. He had no idea what exactly she was doing, but she was giving the kitchen a real going over. The floor would definitely be clean enough to eat off of when she was done. And she certainly looked good doing it. He had never realized that cleaning required so much stretching.

He had to admit that he had spent more time watching Kepner since he had sat down than he had the basketball game. He wasn't even sure what the score was.

"Oh! Did you see that block?" Jackson exclaimed.

He subtly shifted his eyes back towards the television. "Yeah, sick," he muttered.

Jackson narrowed his eyes suspiciously and glanced into the kitchen. Karev's poor attention span had not gone unnoticed by him and he figured that if the guy was starting to look at April like she was a piece of meat then something was seriously wrong. The guy couldn't stand her on a good day.

"When's the last time you got laid?" He asked.

Alex turned towards him and raised an eyebrow. "Uhh," he paused thoughtfully, "the morning of Zola's birthday party. That chick with the nice rack. What was her name?" He asked himself. He tossed his head back against the sofa and groaned. "Crap, can't remember, whatever. Why?"

So it had only been a week, Jackson realized. "I think it might be time for you to get back out there again," he answered simply.

"Says the guy who hasn't had sex since he broke up with Lexie," Alex retorted quickly.

"Yeah, but I'm not looking at my roommate like a creep," Jackson pointed out. He seemed to handle his dry spells much better than his counterpart. Karev got cranky and snappy, and apparently, now he had started to check out girls like April. Jackson just went to the gym.

Alex brushed off his comment quickly. "Whatever, she has a nice ass."

Jackson tilted his head to sneak a peek, but he felt much more awkward about it than his roommate obviously did. Karev was right; she did have a nice ass. April was very physically attractive in general, but she was _April_! He couldn't…he would never…

The red-head spun around to face the pair of them and noticed that both of them were staring back at her. "What?" She asked in confusion.

"Nothing," Jackson answered a little too quickly.

Alex was much more casual about the situation. He just turned back to the television without responding.

April spoke again and her comments showcased that she had no idea what they had been up to. "Say what you want, you guys will thank me in the morning when everything is clean and has its place."

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**A/N: How adorable is an oblivious April? Lol. Please leave a review! :)**


	3. The Opening Drive

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! This chapter is based on 8x14!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always!**

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**Chapter 3 – The Opening Drive **

Alex walked into his apartment and angrily slammed the door closed behind him. He freakin' hated Valentine's Day and all of the decorations that Kepner had scattered throughout the hospital had almost made him puke. It wasn't even a real holiday! There was no possibility of getting the day off or holiday pay, no obligation to give presents or be cordial and upbeat _unless_ you were in a relationship, therefore it wasn't a real holiday. It was kind of cute when little kids indulged in it, but in the adult world, it was just a stupid excuse for women to guilt guys into buying them candy and flowers and expensive dinners. The only reason that men went along with all that crap was in the hope that, at some point in the night, lingerie and out of the box sex would be thrown into the equation.

That Nico kid had one thing right though. It really did suck to be alone on Valentine's Day, regardless of what the day meant.

He stepped into the living room and growled in annoyance. Their living room was pretty much unrecognizable because there were vases of flowers everywhere. "What the actual fuck?" He bellowed.

April stepped into the living room from the kitchen and looked at him with an expression that was a mixture of mortification and confusion. "What's the matter with you?"

"What's up with all these freakin' flowers?" He asked as he gestured wildly.

The red-head shrugged sheepishly. "Dr. Webber is totally right, it's a shame for all of these flowers to go to waste. At least someone can appreciate them now."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Of course you would be one of those chicks who gets all gaga over Valentine's Day."

April nervously chewed on her bottom lip as she glanced down at her feet. She should have known that Alex would react this way to their flowery living room. He wasn't a flower type of guy. He wasn't exactly the most romantic guy after all. In fact, he seemed to be completely anti-romance. "I just don't see anything wrong with a day dedicated to reminding people to appreciate their loved ones," she stated quietly.

She may not have a boyfriend, or a husband, or even a crush, but she had called her mother to wish her a Happy Valentine's Day.

His expression softened and for some reason or another, he decided to cut her a little slack, just this once. "Okay, the flowers can stay. Whatever. Just don't talk about them."

April's stance perked up instantly and her smile brightened. She didn't say anything; she simply whirled around and returned to the kitchen. She didn't want him to abruptly change his mind because of something that she said.

Alex removed his coat and dropped his bag on the floor before he followed her. He leaned against the counter as he looked at her sitting at the kitchen table. Books were scattered in front of her so he assumed that she was studying for their boards. He really needed to start that. It was the most important exam of his career, but to him, patient care was still more important so that's what he was focused on. His patients would always be more important.

"So, where's Avery?" He asked as he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and sat down across from her.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she guffawed.

He raised an eyebrow as he chewed. "So tell me," he mumbled.

"He's at Sloan's," she finally revealed.

"I didn't know Avery swung that way," he joked.

April couldn't help but giggle. "I think that he's trying to suck up so that Sloan will help with his boards prep."

Alex nodded as he mulled over her words. "That's smart. I might wanna think about doing that."

"Yeah, well," she began a little bitterly, "your mentor isn't the Chief of Surgery so you _can_ do that." Hunt was great, and she loved learning from him, but she wished that he was just a little more present as a mentor. He wasn't half as invested in her as Sloan and Robbins were in Jackson and Alex. She was beginning to feel a little neglected.

Alex hopped out of his chair so that he could throw his apple core in the garbage. "What are you worried about, Kepner? You don't need to study. You could pass this thing tomorrow."

"No, I couldn't," she argued. "And that can go in the compost!"

He ignored her scolding about his lack of concern for the environment and returned to their argument. "Yes, you could. You're probably even smarter than Cristina for Christ's sake."

She felt her cheeks warm and she looked down at her book to hide her reaction. She had no idea that Alex thought of her so…highly. It was flattering, and totally unexpected.

He left the kitchen without another word but returned a half an hour later.

He slammed shut the book that she was reading and she looked up at him in annoyance. She had been in the middle of a paragraph! "What's your problem?" She snapped.

He couldn't stop himself from smirking at her; he loved when her voice took on that feisty tone. "I'm bored." Despite what he had said earlier in the day, he didn't want to study, and there was nothing good on television. He wasn't in the mood to go to Joe's and pick up a chick, all of them would be too sappy and expecting too much because of the date. So he was at a loss as to what he could do, and it was way too early to go to bed.

She rolled her eyes and opened her book once again. "It's not my job to entertain you, Alex."

"Let's just go get something to eat or somethin'," he suggested. "I'm starving."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Alex, it's Valentine's Day, everywhere will be blocked."

He was not in the mood to give into her protests easily. He shrugged before pulling her out of her chair. "Come on, we'll find somewhere."

April followed him out of the kitchen in a daze. She wasn't sure what he was doing or why he was doing it. Didn't he think that it would be a little weird to go somewhere to eat on Valentine's Day of all days? She knew that he didn't think of her that way, but it was still weird. Regardless of his intentions, people would look at them and think that they were a couple. Wherever they went, the staff would probably address them as a couple and that had the potential to make everything very uncomfortable. She knew that Alex didn't want to be automatically paired with her like that. He would probably make rude comments and repulsive faces all night.

They left their apartment after grabbing their coats and started to walk down the street. The first place that they came across that wasn't crowed was a small place called Rob's Diner. As April had expected, it served greasy food and strong coffee. However, it did have an old school jukebox and that brought back a lot of pleasant memories of an old restaurant back in Moline.

On Sundays, after church, her parents had always taken her and her sisters to that restaurant and the Kepner girls would take turns picking songs to play on the jukebox.

Alex dug around in the front pocket of his jeans until his fingers grasped a quarter. He tossed the coin across the table at her and chuckled. "You've been staring at that thing all night. Just go pick a song and put yourself out of your misery."

She smiled at him, the kind of smile that made his stomach twist unnaturally, and quietly thanked him before she slipped out of the booth.

He leaned back in the booth and rested his outstretched arms on the back of the vinyl seat. He was full and completely satisfied with his meal. He had ordered a cheeseburger and fries and he was pretty sure that this crappy diner was now his favourite burger place in Seattle. It was even better than Joe's. April had eaten a Monte Cristo sandwich that she had seemed to enjoy so maybe their trip to this diner wouldn't be a one-time thing.

He watched her lean on the jukebox and naturally, his eyes strayed to her ass. The old blue jeans that she was wearing melded to her body perfectly. He hadn't noticed until recently, but she looked really good with absolutely no effort. Like right now, she was wearing blue jeans and one of her stupid, homely sweaters, and her hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders. She hadn't tried to alter or fix her appearance since coming home from the hospital and she still looked good. She didn't overdue it with makeup or perfume like most chicks. He liked that.

He was willing to bet that she would still look good at four o'clock in the morning.

She spun around after deciding on a Chuck Berry song and walked back towards him with a girlish grin.

"Happy now?" He laughed.

"Very," she responded excitedly.

He tilted his head towards the couple sitting in the very corner of the diner and asked, "What do you think their story is?"

April furrowed her brow as she observed the young couple that appeared to be arguing in whispers. "Hmm," she pondered. "They're high school sweethearts and this is where they had their first date. He thought that it was a super romantic idea and she's mad that he didn't take her somewhere more expensive."

Alex chuckled and was impressed with her interpretation. Clearly she had played this people watching game before. "Interesting, but you're wrong," he stated cockily. "He had a date earlier in the evening that he spent all his money on so he brought her here and now he's trying to sweet talk her by saying how the atmosphere is fun and relaxing so that he can get laid later."

The red-head laughed boisterously and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Alex, that's absolutely terrible."

"I call 'em as I see 'em," he retorted honestly.

April grinned mischievously when a thought struck her. "Wanna make a bet on it?"

"Hell yeah," he responded quickly. "Loser pays the bill?"

She accepted his terms and motioned for the lone waitress to come to their table. "Excuse me," April began sweetly. "Does that couple come here often?"

The blonde waitress nodded with a smile. "Yeah, they've been coming here for years, although right now I think she's a little peeved that he didn't take her somewhere with candles and waiters playing the violin." She giggled before she asked, "Can I get you two anything else or will it be just the bill?"

"The bill!" April chirped before she pointed to her scowling companion. "And he'll be taking care of it."

* * *

When April and Alex returned to their apartment, Jackson still hadn't returned from Sloan's. He was really taking advantage of his Valentine's date with his mentor, and Alex certainly wasn't complaining.

April hung her coat up in the closet as she gloated. "Thanks so much for dinner Alex!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he chuckled lightheartedly. "You were right about _one_ thing. I'm sure it was a fluke."

The smug grin did not leave her face and he couldn't help but smile back at her. Sure, he thought that she was hot, but he hadn't imagined that he would have so much fun with her. They had gelled much better than he thought they would. He hadn't been annoyed with her once. He had thoroughly enjoyed her company, and he could get used to it.

"Hey Kepner!" He called as she began to walk down the hallway.

"Yeah?" She responded as she spun around to face him.

"I had fun tonight."

"Yeah, me too," she answered genuinely. "It was definitely a nice study break."

Alex awkwardly shuffled his feet and looked down at their hardwood floors before he spoke again. "And I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime."

April's mouth dropped open in shock. Was he saying that he wanted a date? No, surely that wasn't what he meant. They had gotten along at the diner, but it hadn't actually been a date…had it? He didn't want to _date_ her. That wouldn't make any sense.

She was so confused.

"Umm, yeah, okay, sure," she rushed out. She spun back around and almost tripped up in her own feet. She had absolutely no idea what else she was supposed to say. "I'm gonna go to bed now! 'Night!"

The door to her bedroom slammed shut after she had basically run inside. Alex remained standing in the porch with a frown on his face. April had always been a little dorky, but he had no idea how to interpret that reaction.

"I gotta learn how to speak Kepner," he muttered to himself as he walked into the living room.

* * *

Alex was sitting on the couch, wondering what the hell happened between him and the red-head, when Avery finally walked through the door.

"Hey man," the dark-skinned man greeted as he plopped down next to him.

Alex grunted in reply and looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "Enjoy your date?"

"Shut up," Jackson replied quickly. "You have no idea how much I learned tonight. What did you do?

"Uh, just hung out," he lied. He didn't want to tell Avery that he had taken their female roommate on a sort of date. He had no idea how the guy would react, he might even punch his lights out again.

Alex knew that he wasn't good enough for someone like April, but he would hate to have someone like Avery point it out. He was aware; he didn't need other people rubbing it in his face.

"See," Jackson grinned triumphantly as he stretched his limbs. "I spent it with a guy and I still had a better Valentine's Day than you."

Alex smirked to himself as he slowly got to his feet. "Yeah, man, whatever you say."

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! I should be updating OHE and TRKoW soon! Stay tuned! :)**


	4. Off the Bench and Into the Game

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! Here's some Japril interaction :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always!**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Off the Bench and Into the Game**

Jackson sidled up to his best friend at the nurses' station and smiled down at her happily. "Hey, we're working together today."

"I know," April smiled back excitedly. "It should be fun. We haven't worked together in a while."

Her patient, Mrs. Walker, had been brought into the ER two days ago after taking a fall down the stairs. She had dislocated her hip, which Torres had already popped back into place. She and Dr. Hunt had taken care of her internal injuries during their initial surgery but her spleen was still a concern. The elderly woman had a few other bumps and bruises, and one nasty laceration that they had needed a plastics consult on. They would be heading back into surgery today to tend to the laceration and remove her spleen.

"Sloan is letting me take the lead on this skin graft," Jackson declared with a grin.

"No pressure," she teased as she playfully smacked his arm. "It's not like I'll be judging your technique or anything."

It would also be fun for them to work together since they were essentially the primary surgeons on the case. Sloan was letting Jackson take the lead and Hunt had been allowing her to explain things to Mrs. Walker on her own. They were acting like attendings today and it was exciting. The two Mercy Westers had finally found their foothold at Seattle Grace.

He chuckled as he followed her down the hallway. "Well, April, you will see that my technique, like most things about me, is flawless."

April rolled her eyes and guffawed loudly. "Plastics has made your head so big."

He ran ahead of her and started to walk backwards so that she could see the playful expression on his face. Her phrasing was just too good to pass up; he had to make a dirty joke. "Wanna know what else about me is big?"

"Jackson!" April squeaked with wide eyes. She didn't even want to imagine what he was referring to. But she was imagining it…whether she wanted to or not. It was hard not to imagine.

He laughed uncontrollably as they approached their patient's room. Her reaction had been just as priceless as he knew it would be. She had always been adorable in rather crude situations. He loved the way colour filled her cheeks.

April looked down at her chart to hide her blushing face as she walked into Mrs. Walker's room. "Hi Mrs. Walker, how are you this morning?"

"Good, dear. How are you? You look a little flushed," the sweet elderly lady replied.

Jackson looked down at his friend with an irrepressible grin on his face. "She's fine. Good morning, Mrs. Walker. I'm Dr. Avery."

She shook the young man's hand with a smile. "Well aren't you a dish. Is this your boyfriend, dear?" She asked with a suggestive glance towards the red-head.

"No," April answered with an awkward chuckle. She glanced down at her chart again and quickly changed the topic. "Dr. Avery here will be taking care of that nasty cut on your leg."

Jackson nodded as he stepped towards the hospital bed. "May I take a look?" The patient nodded so he pushed the bed covers aside and pulled back the bandage covering the laceration on her lower left leg.

"Are you sure you're not dating?" Mrs. Walker inquired as she looked back and forth between the two surgical residents. "You two would make a lovely couple. Very pretty babies," she grinned.

"Yes, Mrs. Walker," April replied with a patient smile. "I'm sure that we're _not_ dating."

Jackson leaned towards the old woman and spoke quietly, "She's just not ready to admit it yet."

She grinned understandingly and patted his hand. "Don't rush things, sweetie."

"Of course not," he replied with a wink.

April rolled her eyes, but couldn't contain her smile. He was feeling rather playful today apparently. She hadn't seen that side of him in a long time, probably since before his breakup with Lexie. It was nice that he was feeling like himself again. She hated seeing him down in the dumps so she couldn't really get mad at him for teasing their patient.

"So Mrs. Walker," she began seriously. "Your spleen did not improve the way we hoped it would so we're going to have to remove it."

"When?"

"We have an OR booked and ready to go. While Dr. Hunt and I perform the splenectomy, Dr. Avery will take care of your leg," she explained calmly.

"And you'll take good care of me?" She asked with a hint of worry to her voice.

"Of course we will," Jackson answered with his signature smile.

* * *

Jackson and April went over their surgical plan a final time before April walked away with a smile and a promise to meet him in the scrub room in twenty minutes. He watched her walk down the hallway with a smile, and he only looked away when he heard a familiar voice.

"So, are you two together now?" Lexie asked as she approached the nurses' station from the opposite direction.

"Is that the question of the day?" The brunette looked at him in confusion and he laughed it off. "Never mind. What do you mean?"

"You're looking at her all dewy-eyed and what not," Lexie explained.

He coughed and looked down at the floor. "Was I? Really?" He questioned insecurely.

"A little bit, yeah," Lexie smiled.

Jackson pondered all of the possible implications of something more with April while Lexie charted in front of him. "Would it really be so bad if we were?" He finally asked softly.

Lexie looked up at him in surprise. She honestly hadn't thought that he would ask her about it, but she supposed that this was the one thing that he couldn't discuss with his best friend. Surprisingly, this conversation was not an uncomfortable one for them to have, despite the suddenness of their breakup. She had been incredibly hurt at the time but the fact that they could have this kind of conversation, and she didn't feel uncomfortable, further proved that their breakup had actually been a good thing. She didn't even feel a bit jealous that he was possibly moving on with April.

"No," she replied honestly. "I think that you guys would be great together. When the merger first happened I actually thought you guys were a couple for a little while."

"Really?" He chuckled in disbelief.

"Yeah," she nodded. "You're so protective of her, and there's something else there. It's hard to put into words, but it's there. Even when we were dating I noticed it. Like how you wouldn't let me meet your mother but you had no problem letting her spend time with April."

"That was different," he argued. "She already knew April. The damage was already done."

Lexie laughed lightheartedly, "It doesn't matter, Jackson. I'm just saying that you guys have always seemed to have something going on that could lead to more than friendship."

He nodded thoughtfully. He and April definitely had a connection. He had always thought that it was just because they had such a lengthy and close friendship. They had a history. They had been through a lot together. All of the panic and nerves of intern year…family pressures…the merger…the shooting…bad relationships on his end and no relationships on hers…they were getting ready for their boards together. They had forged a bond that would probably last a lifetime.

But what if they had a little spark too? A little chemistry?

It was an interesting idea to explore.

* * *

After a successful surgery, April scrubbed out next to Jackson. "Nice technique Dr. Avery," she quipped.

He tossed his head back and laughed. "You too, Dr. Kepner."

He playfully bumped his hip against hers and she giggled. "That was really fun though."

"Yeah, it was," she agreed. "And Mrs. Walker is adorable. I'm glad that she's going to be okay."

"Me too." He dried his hands and arms before he tossed the towel in an open hamper and leaned back on the sink. "Ten bucks says that when she wakes up she'll ask you if you've finally admitted your love for me."

April flushed before she smacked his stomach. "You're terrible, encouraging her like that."

He shrugged. "I can't help myself from wanting to bring a smile to a woman's face."

She shook her head at him as she stepped towards the scrub room door. "Come on, Casanova, let's get some lunch."

His stomach growled at her suggestion. "That sounds awesome." He followed her out of the scrub room and his eyes drifted down to her backside. Karev was totally right, and even in scrubs, it was easy to tell that she had a great ass.

But he still felt a little guilty for looking at her that way, like it was wrong and indecent or something. This was _April_. His innocent, virginal best friend. The girl that he often teased like a sister. The same girl that had baked brownies and chocolate chip cookies for him, Charles, and Reed on the nights that they had crammed for their intern exam. The same girl that had helped him battle his stage fright during his second year at Mercy West when he had been required to deliver a presentation to a group of med students that had also happened to be videotaped. The same girl that had covered his ass at work countless times, and supported him no matter what. It was a little weird to look at her in a new light.

A new light where he thought about her naked…

They walked into the cafeteria and grabbed something to eat before they joined Meredith, Cristina, and Alex at a table.

"How was your surgery?" Meredith inquired politely.

"It went great," April answered with a smile. "She should be waking up in a few hours."

"She thinks we're together," Jackson shared with a chuckle. He draped his arm across the back of April's chair and grinned. "Apparently we'd make a lovely couple."

"A little too All-American for my taste," Cristina jibed.

Meredith played along. "A little too bright and shiny."

As the three continued to joke, April awkwardly glanced at Alex. He wasn't participating in the conversation, his jaw was tense, and his eyes were focused on his chicken burger and fries.

"How was your morning, Alex?" She asked quietly. The current subject was making her very uncomfortable.

"Alright," he responded vaguely.

He and April still hadn't really talked about their night out at the diner and he wasn't sure how to bring it up again. Honestly, he was afraid that she would shoot him down, laugh in his face, or worse. He didn't know what to say and his balls were feeling pretty small. He never thought that he would be afraid of April Kepner, but apparently he was.

And it's not like he could ask anyone for advice. Mer and Cristina would laugh at him, Avery would probably try to deck him, and Robbins would just ask too many questions. It was something that he was going to have to deal with on his own, and he didn't even know where to begin. He wasn't good at dealing with women like her.

One thing that he did know was that watching Avery joke around about being Kepner's boyfriend was not helping his mood.

* * *

Avery hanging off of April all day and joking around about it was probably what propelled him to confront the guy as soon he walked through the doors of Joe's bar. Alex spotted the pretty boy at the bar and approached him with a scowl. The guy was flirting with one of the cuter peds nurses so he obviously wasn't thinking about April anymore.

"Avery, we gotta talk," he stated with a purpose.

Jackson turned away from the woman that had approached him mere minutes ago and raised a curious eyebrow. "Sure Karev. What's up?"

"I'm gonna ask April out," he stated bluntly.

Jackson brushed off his friend's comment as a joke. "Yeah, sure, Karev. Whatever you say."

Alex growled furiously. "I'm serious, dude."

The plastics resident ignored his comment and asked, "You want a beer? Joe, get Karev a beer," he called.

"Avery, listen to me!" He barked in frustration.

After taking a deep breath, Jackson spun around on his stool and faced his friend with a serious stare. "Whatever you're playing at, knock it off. It's not funny. I know that you like toying with April, but asking her out just as a way to mess with her is cruel and unnecessary. So whatever you plan on doing, don't," he warned. He paid for Karev's beer before he escorted Nurse Fiona to the dartboard.

Alex chugged his beer and promptly ordered another. Things were really not going his way today.

He really shouldn't have told Avery his plan. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that the guy hadn't taken him seriously. Now he didn't have to worry about it getting back to the red-head before he was ready. He had a little more time to think.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review!**

**Next chapter: Will Alex muster up the courage to ask April out? What do you think?**

**Also, I am working on the next chapter of OHE right now! So that should be posted soon! :)**


	5. Denied!

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! It makes me really excited that some people are torn between the two guys. Keep telling me your fave! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters that I am toying with. Lol.**

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Denied!**

After two days of watching Jackson and April attend to Mrs. Walker together, and two days of acting like a mute idiot around the red-head, Alex finally decided to man up. He gave himself a pretty aggressive pep talk after receiving some advice from a patient. He could do this! He had been dating since he practically left the womb! He had lost his virginity to a school nurse almost twice his age! He had been with dozens of chick. It was pretty bad when a guy with his experience had to be told by a seven-year-old that it was okay to be scared of telling a girl how you feel. But at least the kid had understood how terrified he felt.

He had frantically searched half the hospital before he found April in a supply closet. He slammed the door shut behind him and she jumped at the sound. He grimaced and apologized quietly, "Sorry, I just, uh, need to talk to you."

April placed the packs of gauze that she had been holding back in their bin before she slipped her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. "Sure. What about?"

"I've racked my brain for a good way to tell you," he began unsteadily. "And I can't come up with anything good because I'm not good at this, especially with you." He knew that he was going to sound an awful lot like her, and he had often teased her about her tendency to babble, but saying it fast and all at once was the only way that he was going to be able to get it out. "I know that I screwed up with you last year and I really don't deserve anything from you." He took a step towards her and his voice dropped to a gravelly growl. "But I am into you. I don't know why now and right now I don't care. I'm into you and I want to take you out. On a real date," he clarified. "I will wear a nice shirt and open doors for you, and pay the bill, _willingly_ this time," he added with a chuckle. "A real date and there will be no doubt that it's a date. Whattya think?" He finished with a pant.

April stood across from him with her mouth open in shock. Alex had been acting strange around her ever since their night at the diner, but she still had not seen this coming. This was the very last thing that she had expected today. Alex Karev was asking her out on a date, a real date. He was "into her". Her face flushed and she felt butterflies erupt in her stomach; apparently her feelings for him had not disappeared like she had believed.

Despite how terrible he acted towards her sometimes, she still had a soft spot for him. She liked to look for the good in people and give them the benefit of the doubt, and Alex did have a lot of endearing qualities. He was definitely not all bad.

"Uhh, okay," she finally responded. "When?"

"Tonight. Eight o'clock," he answered instantly.

"Okay," she whispered with a smile.

He nodded and repeated after her. "Okay." They lapsed into silence and he began to awkwardly back towards the door. "So, uh, I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, see ya," she replied shyly.

He left the supply closet and she bit down on her bottom lip to prevent herself from squealing like a teenager. She had a date tonight with Alex Karev, and she was unbelievably excited. She was already thinking about what she would wear.

* * *

Jackson walked into the apartment after another great day and dropped his bag on the floor. He walked to the bathroom and smiled when he spotted April standing in front of the mirror. She was wearing a red blouse and a black, knee-length skirt. She looked really pretty and she was in the middle of curling her auburn hair.

"You look fancy," he called playfully. "Where are you going?"

She chewed on her bottom lip as she nervously glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't lie to Jackson, he always knew when she was hiding something, but she really didn't want to tell him the truth in this situation. "I'm going on a date actually," she finally answered.

His eyebrows rose in interest. "Oh yeah?" He couldn't remember the last time that April had been on a date. It wasn't exactly a common occurrence. "Anyone I know?" He probed. She mumbled something indecipherable and he strained to hear her. "What did you say?"

She spun around to face him and sighed loudly. "Alex is taking me out. I'm going out with Alex."

Jackson furrowed his brow in confusion. So Karev hadn't been messing with him? And the guy hadn't heeded his warning. He had gone and asked her out, and she was just going to let him back into her life in that way as if nothing had happened between them. "April," he began firmly.

April started to rant before he could say anything else. "I know what you're going to say, Jackson. You're going to say that you think I'm too good for him and that he's a jerk, and a pig, and a womanizer, and totally wrong for me, and that the last time I liked him he yelled at me and treated me like crap, and that he doesn't deserve a second chance."

He stared at her in silence as he leaned on the doorframe with both hands. "Yeah," he admitted. "That's pretty much exactly what I was going to say. I probably also would have said that you shouldn't even be thinking about going there again. Then I probably would have added something about how I don't think that you should waste your time with him because Karev only dates girls for one reason and you're better than that."

She reverted back to her nervous habit of chewing on her bottom lip. She knew that he was talking about sex and she also knew that he was right, in a way. Lately Alex had had a string of flings and one night stands and she wasn't that kind of girl. But he had also been married once before so he knew what it was like to be in a loving, committed relationship, and she knew how to learn from her mistakes. She wasn't going to let Alex treat her the way that he had in that on-call room a year ago. She would most likely be upset but she had no problem walking away from him if he made it clear that sex was the only thing that he was interested in.

"I can handle myself," she told him quietly.

Jackson wasn't completely convinced of that but he didn't voice his thoughts aloud. "So, where is he taking you?" He asked awkwardly.

"China Village," she answered promptly.

He wrinkled his nose in distaste as he stepped farther into the bathroom. "Really?"

"We get takeout from there all the time! It's delicious!" She pointed out. "What's wrong with going there?"

"It's not exactly a romantic setting for a first date, is it? If _I _was taking you out, I'd take you to Canlis or Ray's Boathouse in Ballard because I know you'd like the view." Basically, he would put much more thought into it than Karev.

She turned to face him with an unimpressed glare, but he was looking down at her so softly that her expression quickly disappeared. She wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to do but she did know that he was using his eyes in the same way that he did when he wanted a woman to melt into a puddle at his feet. He had never used the infamous Avery eyes on her before and the fact that he was doing so now was a little disconcerting.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

"Nothing," he grinned.

His gaze never faltered and he did know what he was doing. "Knock it off," she demanded. She gently smacked his chest and he chuckled. "Stop it, you snake charmer."

He continued to laugh and only paused to lick his lips. He was using a very valuable piece of information against her. One drunken night, about two months ago, not long after he had broken up with Lexie, April had confessed to them that she had harboured a crush on him since they were interns. Her exact words had been: "I've liked you forever". He had no idea if she even remembered telling him or not, but it was not something that he was not about to forget any time soon.

She had feelings for him, and he might be developing feelings for her too.

April refused to get pulled into his charm again. She quickly reminded herself that he was just trying to get his way so she huffed indignantly. "Well you would never take me out so this conversation is pointless." She grabbed her curling iron and headed towards her bedroom. "The bathroom is all yours; I'm going to finish getting ready in my room."

He frowned to himself before he called out to her. "April, wait."

She poked her head around the door and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"You look really nice," he smiled, "and…uhh…have a good time."

She smiled happily and replied genuinely, "Thank you."

* * *

As promised, there was definitely no doubt that it was a date. Alex had gotten ready at the hospital and then picked her up at the apartment in his car, he wore a nice shirt, he opened doors for her, and he took care of the cheque. He had been quite the gentleman.

And it had been nice and comfortable. She had felt completely at ease, much like she had at the diner. The fact that it had been labelled a date hadn't put her on edge at all. He made her laugh and she liked that. They didn't talk about much outside of work but that was completely fine with her. She didn't want to get into the heavy stuff too soon; she knew that that would scare him away.

"I had a good time," she told him with a smile.

"Me too," he agreed as he accompanied her to the front door.

He hadn't had just a good time, he had had an awesome time, and he wasn't sure if she realized that. He surprised himself by how much he liked spending time with her outside of work, and the more time that he spent with her, the more that he wanted to spend even more time with her. He actually liked talking to a chick, it was weird. He liked the way that she looked too though, so that made him feel more like himself.

He gently grabbed her elbow as she pushed her key into the door. "Hey April," he called quietly.

She turned to face him with a curious smile. "Yeah?"

He leaned towards her as she carefully unlocked the door. He had every intention of kissing her and he knew that she wanted him to by the way her eyes glanced down to his lips. However, before he could do so, April pushed open the door and they were interrupted by an irritating voice.

"Hey kids!" Jackson greeted mockingly.

Alex turned his head and actually glared at his other roommate. Avery had actually grabbed one of the chairs from the kitchen and set it in the hallway so that he could have a perfect view of the front door. He was sitting on the chair with a beer in his hand and a giant grin on his face. He had no idea how long the guy had been sitting there but he was clearly enjoying himself now.

"Avery," he growled.

"Did you have a good night?" Jackson asked with a taunting smile as he glanced at his watch. "Well its eleven o'clock, I guess your date is over now. Time for bed!"

April blushed in embarrassment as she turned to Alex. "I'm so sorry," she murmured.

"It's fine," he angrily muttered back. "I'll see you in the morning. 'Night."

He shot Avery another angry glare before he disappeared into his room in a rage.

April was left alone with Jackson and she wasted no time before grabbing his wrist and dragging him into the kitchen so that she could have a stern word with him.

"What did you do that for?" She asked in exasperation.

"What?" He asked innocently as he took a sip from his beer.

"You know what," she responded with a small stomp of her foot.

He finished his beer and set it down on the counter before he looked at her with a serious, earnest expression. "I'm just looking out for you. You should not be dating that guy."

She sighed in frustration and tangled both of her hands in her hair. Things were not going to work between her and Alex if Jackson continued to act this way. The three of them lived together for God's sake! Jackson's protective streak was also reminding her of feelings that she had buried long ago. He gave her false hope whenever he acted this way, like he had done when he had fought Alex last year over her before quickly falling for Lexie Grey.

"I can take care of myself," she told him firmly for the second time this evening. "I'm a big girl." She stepped towards him and smacked his chest. "So don't do that again!" She smacked him once again. "I don't need you to act like my Dad."

She smacked him another time but he just grinned down at her. She was pretty adorable when she got all riled up. Her fists were having no effect on him but he didn't tell her that. She was like a little, angry kitten.

"And you ruined my goodnight kiss!" She finished with another smack.

"Ew, gross," Jackson replied thoughtlessly.

The red-head rolled her eyes before she started to walk out of the kitchen. "Just behave yourself from now on, okay?"

"I'm not going to make any promises," he yelled back.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of Jackson's little stunt? Please leave a review! :)**


	6. The Blind Side

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm so happy that people are so into this story and are passionately rooting for Jackson or Alex, or are torn. It's so fun for me to read the reviews!**

**I proofread this real quick so I apologize for any mistakes. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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**Chapter 6 – The Blind Side**

Alex stomped into the kitchen in the worst mood that he had been in in weeks. Freakin' Avery. He couldn't stop thinking about how the guy had sabotaged the end of his date. Who did he think he was? He wasn't her father, or her brother, and he certainly wasn't her boyfriend. The guy had absolutely no right to do what he did. It had been a jackass move.

He grabbed his box of cereal out of the cupboard and started to eat straight out of it. Screw milk. He wasn't in the mood to deal with dishes and shit.

He was still mulling over the shitty thing that had happened to him when the douchebag in question walked into the kitchen.

"Morning," Jackson greeted as he headed towards the coffee pot.

"Whatever," he grumbled angrily.

Jackson turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "What's your problem, man? It's six thirty, what could have possibly happened to you already?"

Alex scoffed, "Yeah, like you don't know."

The dark-skinned man rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. It was obvious that his roommate was still fuming from last night, but Jackson really couldn't care less. He had done what he had thought was necessary. "I warned you, alright? Just stay away from her."

"It's none of your goddamn business, Avery!" Alex shouted in frustration. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before he went off on the guy, and apparently he couldn't contain his emotions any longer.

"She's my best friend," he argued. "It is my business to keep her away from scumbags like you."

Alex shoved his box of cereal back in the cupboard before he rounded on his friend. "Just back off and stay out of it. April can make her own decisions."

Jackson snorted to himself. Karev was delusional if he thought that he was just going to break April's heart without any interference from him. He stepped up to Karev and looked down at him sternly. "I think that _you_ should back off," he stated in a low, dangerous voice. "I've kicked your ass once, I'm not afraid to do it again."

"I didn't fight back last time," Alex retorted.

The two men kept their gazes locked as they slipped into a standoff. Their chests were practically touching and both refused to even flinch. Neither was willing to back down from a physical confrontation. Jackson was almost three inches taller than his counterpart, he definitely had the muscle advantage, and he knew how to throw a pretty good punch. Alex had wrestled for years, he had been All-State, and he was prepared to kick the guy's ass, Iowa style.

They only took a step backwards when a voice broke the silence. "What's going on here?" April asked softly.

Jackson cleared his throat and spoke first. "We were just talking."

She stared at him in disbelief and when he refused to elaborate, she turned to the other man. "Alex, can I talk to you for a second?"

He glared at Avery before he nodded and followed her out of the kitchen. She led him into her bedroom and he closed the door behind him for privacy.

"So, what was going on just then?" She posed when he didn't immediately say something.

"I was just telling Avery to mind his own business," he responded honestly.

April sighed, "I told him about it last night. He's not going to do anything like that again."

Alex snorted unattractively. "Yeah, we'll see."

She stepped towards him and tenderly placed her hand on his arm. "Alex," she whispered, "I was just as mad at him as you were."

"I doubt that," he huffed. "I was seriously going to—"

She cut off his whining by pressing her lips to his. She wanted to kiss him and it was also the only thing that she could think of that would definitely get him to shut up.

He was shocked at first but it didn't take him very long to kiss her back. He wasn't stupid. He snaked his arms around her waist and trapped her bottom lip between his. He heard her moan and the sound spurred him on. He assertively captured her mouth and as the kiss grew even more intense, he tangled one hand in her hair and pulled her body tight against his.

They finally parted for air and April laughed shyly as she placed both of her hands on his chest. Her knees felt shaky, she had never been kissed like that before. "I wanted to do that last night," she whispered.

"Oh you have no idea," he chuckled huskily.

She giggled and softly kissed his lips again before pushing him towards the door. "I have to get ready for work now."

"Right," he nodded. He had pretty much forgotten that they had jobs to get to. He was still thinking about that kiss. He remembered that she had been a pretty good kisser a year ago but what had just happened between them had been unreal.

"I'll see you at the hospital?" She asked with a smile.

He nodded dumbly before he left her room and closed the door behind him. He headed to the bathroom and found Avery brushing his teeth. Despite his best efforts, Alex was unable to contain his arrogant grin.

"What the hell are you smirking at?" Jackson demanded in annoyance.

"Nothing," Alex shrugged. He remained silent as the other man finished brushing his teeth. But he couldn't withhold the comment on the tip of his tongue when Avery brushed past him in the doorway. "April Kepner is one hell of a kisser."

* * *

Jackson tried to put Karev out of his mind as he went about his morning rounds…but the image of the cocky son of a bitch's triumphant expression was burned into his brain. The guy was just toying with April, he just knew it. Nothing else made any sense.

Regardless of the guy's intentions, April was still mad at _him_ so he had to apologize. He headed down to the coffee cart in the main lobby and bought two coffees before he sought out April.

He found her in one of the skills labs and approached her with a smile. "I got you coffee," he declared, "just the way you like it."

She looked at him as he sat across from her and fought a smile. Alex had bought her a coffee this morning, which she had appreciated, but he had no idea how she liked her coffee, unlike Jackson. She grabbed the paper cup with both hands and took a long sip. She sighed in satisfaction and smiled at him. "It's perfect, thank you."

"You are welcome," he answered immediately.

"And you can stop sucking up to me now. I forgive you."

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You do?"

"I do," she confirmed with a nod. "Alex and I are fine so you didn't do any lasting damage."

Jackson glanced away from her as he tried to suppress his frown. That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. "So…uh…you guys are going to date now or something?"

"Yeah," she responded softly. "We're going to try."

He swallowed harshly. "And that's what you want?" He asked fearfully.

She nodded with a soft smile. "Yeah, that's what I want."

Jackson shifted uncomfortably before he spoke again. "Are you doing anything tonight? You wanna study for the boards?"

She replied eagerly, "That sounds great. I need to start really getting into the material." It was also a good night to study because Alex was working the night shift in the ER, so he wouldn't be around to distract her.

Jackson smiled once again. At least he would get to spend the evening with her.

* * *

April yelped in surprise when two strong arms grabbed her and pulled her into an on-call room while she had been headed towards her office to tackle some annoying paperwork.

Getting pulled into on-call rooms was not something that happened to her.

Alex pressed her against the closed door with a breathless laugh. "Did I scare you?" He asked mischievously.

"A little," she admitted with a chuckle. "What are you doing?"

He laughed as his hands encircled her waist and he brought his mouth down to hers. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He asked rhetorically.

All morning he hadn't been able to stop thinking about that kiss. He wanted more. He was craving it. So he had pulled her away for some alone time.

He pressed his mouth to hers and she tentatively kissed him back. She wasn't stupid, she knew who she was kissing and she knew what he was thinking. She had been in an on-call room with him once before after all and that had resulted in one of the most humiliating experiences of her life. Although she really liked kissing him, he made her incredibly nervous, in a bad way. She liked him but she wasn't sure if she trusted him.

She pulled away from his mouth and gently patted his chest. "I should get back to work," she whispered awkwardly.

Alex quickly picked up on her uneasiness and stopped her from reaching for the door handle. "April, wait a second, just let me say something." She raised an eyebrow and he had to take a moment to regroup. He wasn't used to saying stuff like this to chicks. He had never been interested in a girl like April before and he knew that he needed to treat her differently.

If things were going to work between them then he couldn't play games with her or jerk her around. He needed to be upfront, honest, and patient.

"I don't expect you to have sex with me anytime soon," he began. "Just so you know. I'm not gonna pressure you or yell at you, or anything like that." He cleared his throat and mumbled, "I'm not stupid enough to do that again."

Had he thought about having sex with her? Yes, probably a hundred times this morning alone. But he really wanted to get to know her.

April smiled at him softly as she ran her hands along his shoulders. "Thank you, Alex."

"Well I'm not an ass all the time," he joked.

"I know," she giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him softly as she played with the hair on the back of his neck. "You're secretly a big softie," she teased.

He rolled his eyes as he pinched her waist. "Let's not go crazy, Kepner."

She laughed before kissing him again. "I really should go do some work now."

Alex nodded and released her from his hold. However, he didn't let her leave the room without slapping her butt first. "Man, you have such a great ass," he told her with a chuckle.

April laughed as a blush filled her cheeks and spread down to her neck. "Stop it," she responded as she playfully smacked his arm while stepping out into the hallway.

Jackson, who was leaning against the nearby nurses' station, watched the two of them leave the on-call room with a scowl. He hated seeing them together, especially when they were laughing, carrying on, and clearly flirting. He hated to think about what they could have been doing in there. It made his stomach turn. Karev was not the kind of guy that April was supposed to end up with. He just wasn't.

* * *

Later that evening, Jackson and April sat on their living room floor tossing popcorn into each other's mouths. Their productive night of studying hadn't exactly gone as planned. They had studied for about an hour before they had decided to take a "break". April had made cookie dough and the cookies were currently in the oven, and then they had decided to make popcorn and turn on the television.

It felt good for the two of them to just hang out. They hadn't done it in a very long time.

April tossed another piece of popcorn to Jackson and he caught it with his mouth triumphantly. "You're so good at this!" She laughed loudly.

"I know," he grinned, "and you suck!" He teased as he tossed another piece at her and it bounced off of her chin and hit the floor. "See!"

"Maybe I just have a terrible thrower," she retorted with a playful glare.

He rolled his eyes as he grabbed a handful of popcorn out of the bowl and shoved it into his mouth. "Whatever you wanna believe," he muttered. He threw another piece towards her and it landed inside of her tank top. "Sorry!" He bellowed as he fell onto his side in laughter.

"You did that on purpose!" April screeched as she fished the piece of popcorn out from between her breasts.

He laughed and held up his hands innocently. "I did not, I swear! That was an accident!"

They both heard the timer on the oven go off and April got up off of the floor, but not before tossing a large hand of popcorn at Jackson. He laughed as he got to his feet and followed her into the kitchen. She grabbed an oven mitt and pulled the tray of cookies out of the oven. She was baking while they were supposed to be studying, just like their old Mercy West days. He snatched one cookie right away and popped into his mouth.

"Be careful," she scolded, "that's hot."

He merely grinned at her like a little boy as he chewed the chocolate chip cookie. She smiled to herself as she turned away from him. He was in a wonderful mood at work and he was in a great mood at home, and she loved seeing him like this. Jackson had one of the most beautiful souls that she had ever encountered but he let things weigh him down easily, like family expectations, his surgical proficiency and potential, and women. She wondered what had changed within him recently to produce such a wonderful attitude.

She felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket so she pulled it out to read the new text message. It was from Alex and even though it was a basic, normal question, it made her smile.

_What's up?_

She replied quickly: _I made cookies!_ She added a smiley face before she placed her phone back in her pocket and glanced up at Jackson shyly. "What?"

"Is that Alex?" He asked with a hard facial expression.

"Yup," she nodded. "He just wanted to know what we're doing." She pulled a small tin out of a cupboard and began to place cookies inside of it. She wanted to save Alex some treats.

And Jackson knew exactly what she was doing. "Ya know," he began carefully. "I don't think he would have given you a second look if we weren't living together."

April raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Jackson theorized that proximity and accessibility were everything to a guy like Alex Karev. It wasn't about April. It was about April being available. But he couldn't say that to his best friend. His words would hurt her, and probably make her defensive, and it wasn't worth it.

"I don't think you'll like what I have to say," he finally responded with a shrug.

"Then why are you still talking?" She snapped.

He took a step backwards in shock. He had never heard her talk to him in that tone and he really didn't like it. "I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "I'll stop talking about it but I just…I really care about you, April. I don't want anybody to hurt you."

Her anger towards him quickly dissipated. He really was just looking out for her and she couldn't be mad at him for that. It had been a while since she had known somebody that cared for her the way that Jackson did.

"I'm sorry too," she replied quietly. "We just need to stop bringing this up."

He nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, okay." He opened his arms and faced her with a smile. "Hug it out?"

April laughed as she stepped into his hug. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and pressed the side of her face against his chest. She inhaled deeply and tightly clutched his t-shirt. He smelled fantastic; his scent was manly yet refreshing. "You smell good," she murmured.

He chuckled as he slipped a hand into her hair. "You smell good too." And she felt really good against him. She raised her head to look up at him and he single-mindedly stared at her mouth. He had never felt such an overwhelming urge to kiss someone.

"What?" She questioned quietly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I really wanna kiss you," he admitted huskily.

April's eyes widened in shock as his face started to inch closer to hers. She quickly raised her hand and covered his mouth before he could press it against hers. "Oh my God," she gasped. "You were actually gonna kiss me!"

"Well yeah," he muttered against her hand. "That's what I said I wanted to do."

She squirmed out of his hold and created a reasonable distance between them. "Why would you do that?" She asked in confusion.

He repeated the sentiment that he had conveyed mere minutes ago. "Because I really care about you."

She thought it was a little too convenient that he wanted to kiss her just when another man took an interest in her. That didn't sit right with her at all, and as good as Jackson and Alex got along at times, they didn't really like each other. So what was Jackson's real motivation for wanting to kiss her? She didn't know.

"Umm…I'm going to go to bed I think. I'll see you in the morning."

"April," he called sadly. He thought about reaching for her but ultimately decided against it. He didn't want to overwhelm her. "Okay, goodnight!" He called.

He waited until he heard her bedroom door close before he groaned loudly and ran his hands over his shaved head in frustration. "Idiot," he muttered to himself as he grabbed another cookie to eat.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! Team Jackson? Team Alex? Still torn? Let me know! :)**


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